| Puberty questions asked by early adolescents: what do they want to know? | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 8863087 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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OBJECTIVE: We undertook the following study to document questions asked by early adolescents regarding pubertal development. METHODS: As part of a health education program, 159 sixth-grade students (mean = 12.1 years) were surveyed to obtain their questions about puberty and their self-assessed pubertal stage. Questions were coded for content and gender specificity. RESULTS: Of 159 initial subjects, 111 generated a total of 200 questions. A majority of the questions reflected biological topics (88%), such as genital physiology (26%) and sexuality and reproduction (26%). Only 6% addressed psychosocial questions. Both females and Asians (compared with other ethnic or racial groups) expressed greater interest in the differences between male and female development (P < .05). Prepubertal males were more concerned about general puberty than were boys in later Tanner stages (P < .05). Earlier maturing males focused on genital anatomy (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: We found that biological questions concerning puberty predominated over psychosocial topics, and that the gender, race or ethnicity, and stage of development determined the kinds of questions that early adolescents have about pubertal development. Health educators and clinicians may need to focus on physiologic areas to provide more meaningful information about development to early adolescents. |
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Authors:
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S A Ryan; S G Millstein; C E Irwin |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine Volume: 19 ISSN: 1054-139X ISO Abbreviation: J Adolesc Health Publication Date: 1996 Aug |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1997-01-07 Completed Date: 1997-01-07 Revised Date: 2007-11-14 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 9102136 Medline TA: J Adolesc Health Country: UNITED STATES |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 145-52 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adolescent Adolescent Behavior* Chi-Square Distribution Child Continental Population Groups Ethnic Groups Female Health Education* Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* Humans Male Puberty* / psychology Questionnaires Sex Factors |
| Grant Support | |
ID/Acronym/Agency:
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MCH000978//PHS HHS; MCH0654//PHS HHS; MCJ000980//PHS HHS |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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